Miles to Go
by radiogirl
Summary: 2 years ago, Maria and Liz fled Roswell after the death of Alex, leaving the answers to their past behind. Maria resurfaces in Liz's life, & Liz knows only Roswell can heal her friend. They have miles to go before their minds can sleep again.
1. Pain

Title: Miles to Go  
  
Rating: PG-13, just to be safe  
  
Summary: Two years after they fled from Roswell after Alex's death, Maria and Liz are brought back together on the road of life. They know that they can't be complete until they find their answers, and they know that they have miles to go before they will be able to rest again.  
  
Author's Note: Hello everyone. Well, this is a new kind of thing for me. I've always wanted to do a "what if" story. For instance, what if Maria and Liz left after Alex's death, leaving behind Roswell and their pasts. Anyway, I hope you like this. The next chapter will explain the questions left up in the air by this chapter. This is just a short introductory, just something to get the story going. Enjoy! And please, please review.

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Miles to Go  
  
The rain beat down steadily on the tin roof as I sat in the silence of my seclusion. I stared out into the dark grey room, looking around at my surroundings, remembering where I had been just a short two years before. Our lives had changed so much since those days, those were my happiness. Whenever I longed for a time when life was simple, I remember them. The way Max's eyes used to stare into mine, Michael's cold stare when he thought through his options, the way Isabel's laugh used to break through the cold ice that encased our relations toward the end of our stay. The three, the ones I had to leave behind, the ones WE had to leave behind.  
  
Things had changed toward the end. When Tess arrived, the three grew distant from us, and we knew we had to escape Roswell and everything there that held our once happiness. When our spirit died along with Alex's presence, we knew that Roswell would never be home for us again.  
  
So we fled. We fled far and fast, leaving the past behind along with the ones who had taken his past. With her by my side, I knew I would be alright, I knew the sun would keep shining, I knew the days would keep coming in their ever constant rhythm of comfort and grace. We went to wonderful places, places where we could start over again and places where we would never have to remember them, never see their faces every time we turned the corner.  
  
It grew too much for her. She would shrink away from my concern, she began to think of me as one of them again, she began to believe that I was one who took him away. As much as I told her that I would never hurt her, she couldn't believe anything anymore. They had taken him away, they had taken away a piece of our past and never been able to own up to their defeats. And for that, I would lose her as well. I woke up one morning to find her gone from her room; she'd left me alone again.  
  
I heard the knock on the door, its noise rising just above that of the rain, and my eyes drew toward it. Who could be there? No one had come since she had left, the morning I found her room empty was the day time stood still. I'd gone about my life, but nothing had been the same in the year that she had been away from me.  
  
I raised myself from the chair and took tentative steps toward the door. Without another thought, I opened it quickly. There she was, standing sad and alone on the doorstep in the pouring rain. Her eyes raised to look at me, and I saw the sadness present in them. Her mascara ran helplessly down her cheeks and her skin was pale and gaunt, hanging from her face, she hadn't eaten in days.  
  
Her clothes were old and worn, saturated through and through from the rain and the sins and memories that sheathed her soul. She looked at me, her mouth opening slightly, her lips forming the shape of my name, but no noise escaping her. Her eyes were dark from the things she had seen since she'd left my side. I held out my hand toward her, and slowly she reached out her thin fingers and wrapped them around mine, taking a step closer, and embracing me, her tears soaking through my collar, her sobs echoing through the small house.  
  
Her hair was dyed a jet black, covering up everything I remembered of her, but the blond roots still peaked out, telling me that this was in fact my best friend. She was here again, she'd come back just as I'd always hoped she would. Maria. . . she'd come home again.

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The poem: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost featured in Roswell Season 2, Cry Your Name  
  
Whose woods these are I think I know  
  
His house is in the village though;  
  
He will not see me stopping here  
  
To watch his woods fill up with snow  
  
My little horse must think it queer  
  
To stop without a farmhouse near  
  
Between the woods and frozen lake  
  
The darkest evening of the year  
  
He gave his harness bells a shake  
  
To ask if there is some mistake  
  
The only other sound's the sweep  
  
Of easy wind and downy flake  
  
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,  
  
But I have promises to keep,  
  
And miles to go before I sleep,  
  
And miles to go before I sleep. 


	2. Home

A/N- Sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter written. There has been a lot going on in my life lately, and time to write has become quite scarce. I hope you like this, though. I promise it will get less mysterious in the next chapters and questions will be answered. Please review if you read it, whether you like it or hate it.

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"Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again. . ." 

-311 "Love Song"  
  
I looked down at her thin frame, watching as her chest rose and fell with the rhythm of her slumber. I still couldn't believe she'd come- Maria was home again.  
  
I slowly got up from the chair and left her room quietly, making sure not to wake her. She'd been asleep for hours, making me wonder how long it had been since she'd gotten to sleep, and making me wonder what nightmares she'd seen since we'd last been together. I walked out to the living room and sat down on the couch, placing my head in my hands and closing my eyes, listening to the rain fall steadily on the roof.  
  
I could see the pains of her past engraved on her face. Even when she slept, her features were twisted with the hardships she'd been through, she was scarred from her memories. She'd come to me to help ease her fears, erase her pains, but truthfully, I didn't know if I could heal her the way she needed.  
  
I looked toward the phone sitting on the table, its silent frame calling me, taunting me. Maria thought that I was the one who could heal her, but I knew that the answer was encased in another realm. I knew her fears- our fears- could only be answered by the answers to our past. We'd been living a lie for years, and I knew that Maria would never be whole again until she understood, only I could help her understand.  
  
I reached over, my thin fingers wrapping around the phone. I dialed the numbers quickly, not stopping for fear that I would chicken out and not do the thing that I knew we both needed. My fingers moved over the numbers quickly, still knowing the way to dial, even after so many months.  
  
He answered on the second ring. I heard him gasp when I said his name.  
  
"Liz," he said, still unsure that he was actually hearing my voice.  
  
"We're coming back. I- I just thought you should know." I said, stumbling over my words, the voice from our past still ringing in my ears.  
  
"Is she- I mean, she's not-"He said, his voice cracking in fear.  
  
"She's fine, she will be fine. We'll both be fine. We're coming back." I hung up the phone and stood up quickly, rushing to my room and packing the clothes as swiftly as I could, ready to leave, ready to face our demons. I packed enough clothes for both of us, and loaded the suitcases into the car.  
  
I entered her room and approached the bed, kneeling down beside her so that we were eye to eye. I placed my hand on her shoulder and her eyes opened, as if she'd never actually been sleeping at all. Her eyes searched mine for the answers she expected me to give, and I just shook my head.  
  
"Maria, come with me to the car," I whispered and slowly she nodded, not questioning my motives, not asking where we were going. I led her to the car, and we both got in. I looked over at her as I started the car. "Just sleep, Maria. Just sleep."  
  
She studied me, a smile slowly spreading on her pale face. "I love you Liz," she said before leaning her head back and closing her eyes.  
  
"I love you too, Ria." I whispered. I pulled out of the driveway, not looking back at the house that held the memories of the life we were leaving behind.  
  
The miles and cities flew by quickly, their names running through my head in fluid motions as we grew nearer and nearer. Maria slept the whole way, barely stirring from her deep slumber. I knew that what I was doing was right, but I didn't know how Maria would feel when she woke up and found herself at the doorway to her past- a past she'd tried so hard to leave behind.  
  
When I saw the sign, my heart skipped a beat, the name running through my head over and over. We entered the town limits and I looked over toward Maria. As if she could feel the town's presence, Maria's eyes opened slowly and drifted toward me. I watched her as she turned her head toward the front, and saw as her gaze fell across the familiar town.  
  
She let out a breath, leaning her head back against the seat. "Roswell," she sighed, and closed her eyes again.


	3. Memories

A/N- Thank you soo much for all the reviews, they helped me immensely in writing this chapter! Now, to answer a few questions:  
  
LizEvans- this story is going to be both Maria/Michael, and Liz/Max, although it's not exactly primarily a romance. It is about Maria and Liz finding themselves again, and trying to heal and find their pasts. Of course, there's romance, hehe. You can't expect any less from a Radiogirl story!  
  
Alvarezrai- there will be one chapter from Maria's point of view coming up in the future. I'm adding it because it's a chapter that would be much to hard to write from Liz's POV, so look for that soon to come.  
  
Again, thank you! And please review!  
  
--Miles To Go Chapter 3--  
  
"If you're cold, I'll keep you warm. If you're low, just hold on. Because I will be your safety, oh, just don't leave home."  
  
-Dido "Don't Leave Home"  
  
I looked back at Maria as she trailed behind me, her eyes shifting nervously from side to side, trying to pretend like she didn't know where we were. She didn't want to be here, I could tell. But the beauty about Maria, was that she would do it anyway- just for me. She was ready to face her fears, face the terrors we left behind, to try and help me. I knew that Roswell held our answers, and I was hoping that Roswell would also still hold the happiness we'd left behind in our childhood.  
  
Leaving Roswell, Maria and I had both had to grow up very fast. We never talked about the life we left behind, never admitted that when we were silent eating dinners, we were both thinking about Alex.  
  
Alex- our best friend, oh how we longed for him. Every day, it seemed, there were at least twenty things that reminded me of him. From a joke on the television, to the worn pages of my Robert Frost poem book. Alex was hiding around every corner, reflecting in every drop of rain that fell from the sky. Maria and I couldn't talk about it because secretly, we both knew the darkness of each other's mourning, because it was exactly what we were feeling deep inside our own heart.  
  
I stopped in front of the door, and once again looked back at Maria's eyes, lowered toward the ground and refusing to let me see in her eyes exactly what I knew was there- fear.  
  
I reached my hand up and knocked quickly, before I could convince myself this wasn't the right move. I knew if I hesitated, that I, too, would show the fear in my eyes. Fear of everything we knew, and everything we didn't know at the same time, everything we were scared to know.  
  
I heard the door open, and I looked up slowly and caught Michael's eyes. The memories began to rush through my mind, flowing freely, the floodgates of the past finally opening up to me. As I looked at Michael I remembered the warm summer days in the desert, watching Maria smile when she looked in his eyes, seeing Maria cry into his shoulder after the death of our happiness.  
  
Michael's eyes flicked away from mine and quickly landed on Maria. I saw the breath escape from his lips as he looked upon her for the first time. The girl he'd been thinking about for years, finally standing where he'd always dreamed, right in front of him in true, vibrant color.  
  
"Maria," he said softly, and I watched as Maria's eyes raised slowly from the ground, and straight into his, searching his soul again just as she had so many times in the past. I saw her facial expression flutter, and I saw the tears begin to brim her eyes as she stared upon his familiar features.  
  
"Come in," Michael said, looking at me again and stepping aside, allowing us to enter his apartment. When I walked in, it was like nothing had changed. Everything was the same, from the Metallica poster plastered on the wall, to the worn couch where Max and I had tried to find his past so long ago.  
  
Max, my heart pounded in my chest as the memory of that night quickly flashed into my brain. My eyes quickly scanned the room, scared at who I would find, not yet knowing if I was ready to face him. When I found the room empty, I felt my heart slow. I looked over at Michael and saw him looking at me.  
  
"They're not here," he said, reading my mind. "I- I haven't told them that you're back yet. I didn't know if you wanted them to know." He said, casting a glance over toward Maria.  
  
I, too, looked at Maria and saw her standing awkwardly at the door. She still hadn't said a word, and I knew she was overwhelmed by the memories that this apartment made her remember. I watched as Michael scanned her features. His forehead creased in worry as he looked at her frail frame, observed the deep bags under her eyes, took in the gaunt paleness of her face. I knew that her appearance had startled him, this was a Maria he had never known, how could he have? He had never heard Maria's sobs echoing through the night as she dreamt about Alex, watched her stare out the window into the gray skies before a thunderstorm, as she commented to me that the sky was exactly the color of Michael's eyes. He hadn't known, because we couldn't let him know. Our weakness was our secret, and that secret was all we had left from this place. Our only piece left yet unturned.  
  
I took Maria's hand and led her over to the couch, and sat her down. I took a seat next to her and watched as Michael sat in the chair across from us, his eyes never leaving Maria. For the first time, when I looked in his eyes, I could see in Michael the pain he was feeling. We had hurt him when we left Roswell, caused him an aching pain that would never cease. I'd never thought about what we would do to them when we left, I'd only thought of what they'd done to us and what Roswell would do to us if we didn't leave this place.  
  
"Where were you guys?" He asked softly, the pain showing through in his voice as he looked over at us. "We looked for you for months, we looked everywhere but we couldn't find you. Everywhere we went, you were one step ahead of us. Max, he wouldn't give up, it was driving him crazy. We- we just didn't know how you could have left." I heard Michael's voice crack and he cast his eyes toward the ground, not letting us see the emotion in his voice.  
  
I looked toward Maria to see if she felt like answering, but her expression was still blank. I decided to speak for us both. "We weren't that far from here, just far enough away so no one would recognize us, and far enough away so we wouldn't hear the word 'Roswell' every day. We finally settled and bought a house, and that's where we've been." I looked toward Maria and saw her staring at me. I hadn't told Michael about the year Maria disappeared. I didn't tell him about how I worried every night, knowing she was gone, and not knowing what pain she was going through. I left that for Michael to find out himself, he needed to find out his answers on his own.  
  
Maria's glance drifted away from me, and I watched as it locked with Michael. He held her gaze steadily, and they searched each other's eyes. I could tell Michael desperately wanted to know why Maria was so frail, what lay in the darkness of her eyes. He wanted to know why she was so scared, why she couldn't talk to him. He wanted to heal the one he'd loved so much for years.  
  
I watched as Maria looked at him. Slowly, I watched as her mouth opened, forming the shape of his name. A name she'd refused to speak for years. The day we'd left Roswell was the last day I'd heard his name leave her mouth. She was afraid, and she felt that if she erased him from her vocabulary, it would erase him from her mind. She'd never succeeded in forgetting him.  
  
"Michael," she whispered, her voice barely audible. I watched as the tears escaped from her eyes, running down her pale cheeks, saying the name she'd longed to hear herself say for years. At the sound of his voice, Michael's face brightened, and I watched as his eyes searched hers, trying to show her that he was the same person. He needed her to know that he hadn't changed, and in her absence, he had only grown better.  
  
The moment stretched out, and encased the room, wrapping us all in a feeling of affection as we realized, some things may never change. I felt my heart warm as I watched the two. I knew that Maria was beginning to find herself again, and that Roswell would eventually heal her open wounds. Roswell was the answer, I'd always known that, I'd just tried to run away from that fact. I'd tried to pretend that it was only our past- nothing but something I needed to forget.  
  
A noise at the door broke the spell that was cast over the room. I heard the sound of a key turning in the lock, and I looked over toward Michael. His expression had fallen again, and his eyes darted from the door to me, and I saw the regret in his eye. The door began to open, and I knew who would step through the threshold even before his face was revealed.  
  
"Michael, I thought I told you to call me this morning." He said as he walked through, not glancing into the room before shutting the door behind him. "I waited for an hour before I. . ." He turned around and his gaze fell on me, and his mouth stopped moving. He took a step back, and looked from me, to Maria, to Michael, and back to me, and I watched as he began to register what was going on, that I was no longer only a figment of his imagination.  
  
"Liz," he said slowly, and my heart began to beat faster. I'd forgotten that when Max said my name, the word sounded almost magical on his lips. 


	4. Free

A/N- Thank you all SO MUCH for the reviews, you all made me so incredibly happy and you made this chapter so much fun to write! Although it may seem that this story is slow moving, that is how it is meant to be. The story is about Maria and Liz finding themselves again, and how the aliens help heal them. So, yes, it will be kind of slow. But bear with me, because I really love this story, and I want you to too. I think it will be something great.  
  
Anyway, enjoy it! And please review, you have been wonderful to me so far.  
  
-- Miles To Go Chapter 4 --  
  
"I dream of vanishing into the crowd. Longing for home again, and home is a feeling I've buried in you."  
  
-Melissa Etheridge "Breathe"  
  
"Liz," Max said again, as if he didn't believe that his eyes were actually telling the truth, as if I was only an illusion. He looked to Michael for an answer, but Michael only stared back, not being able to give Max an answer to why we were back again. They'd spent two years getting used to our absence, and to have us here again, sitting in Michael's apartment, was breaking the mold of reality they'd trained themselves to believe.  
  
Max took another step into the room, his eyes dodging back and forth from me, to Maria, and back. "You're back," he whispered softly, looking deep into my eyes. I nodded slowly, as if trying to convince myself as much as him that we were, indeed, back. Back to the place we'd left so long ago. Their searching was over.  
  
"I need to use the bathroom," Maria's voice came strong, vibrating through the room, breaking the ice that held us in place. I hadn't heard Maria's true voice in over a year. Not since before she left me, since before she began to fade away. I looked toward her, and saw her looking intently at Michael. I almost laughed, Maria was back again, I could see it.  
  
"I'll show you where it is," Michael said, and he too smiled as he looked at her. He could see the old Maria again, he could feel her strength entering her again, see it in her eyes.  
  
I watched as they rose from the couch, and Maria followed Michael slowly out of the room, looking back at me briefly, a small smile playing on her lips. She was alive again. She'd come back, and she wanted to help me find my way, because she could feel my pain. She wanted me to find my answers, just as she intended to find hers. We both needed to take our own paths, travel the miles alone to discover our pasts, and at the same time discover our futures.  
  
Max took a seat across from me in the chair that Michael had vacated only seconds before. I looked at him for a minute, tracing his features, trying to block out the hundreds of memories that were bombarding me as I looked into his eyes. There was so much history, so many things my mind had blocked out over the months. I'd tried to forget how much I had cared for Max. If I forgot, it made it easier for me to leave every emotion, every memory I had with him, behind. But now, as I looked at him, everything came flooding back. Only now did I remember how much of me was shaped by everything held in Max's eyes.  
  
"You were gone for so long, Liz." Max said suddenly. I could see him struggling to find the words, and I knew this was not easy for him. I knew he was unsure, we had hurt him so much- I had hurt him. We'd fled so quickly, trying to escape our pain, and in the process left him in the dust, bleeding and broken and stumbling to find answers.  
  
"I know we were," I answered him, nodding. I wanted him to see that I hadn't meant to hurt him. I hadn't left because of him, only because I couldn't take another day here. Another day of not knowing what was coming next, another day of running from everything, another day of losing everything that I'd loved for so long.  
  
"We didn't think you'd leave," he said, shaking his head, leaning forward and balancing on his knees. He turned his hands over, studying them, and avoided looking into my eyes as he talked. "I knew it was hard on you, but I didn't think you would go. If I had known you were hurting so much, I would have listened when you pleaded with me. I would have done something, anything, to convince you that Roswell wasn't the end."  
  
He looked back up at me when I said nothing. "You were right, Liz. I should have listened to you after- after Alex died. I made so many mistakes, I just wish I could go back and change them. I wish I had listened, then maybe you wouldn't have gone away." It hurt me to see the pain in his eyes. Max blamed himself for everything.  
  
"Max, Maria and I left for so many reasons. After Alex died, it was so hard," I said, my voice cracking at the mention of Alex's name. "It felt like everything was torn away, everything that used to be wonderful was suddenly dead. We were so sad, we just couldn't stay here anymore. We couldn't stay here, go to school knowing that Alex wouldn't be there to greet us in the mornings. Knowing that Alex wouldn't be at the Crashdown after school, drinking a milkshake and listening to us complain. We just couldn't do it anymore, and so we left. We needed a new start, we needed to find ourselves somewhere where we wouldn't be influenced by our former lives."  
  
Max shook his head, leaning back against the chair again. "Liz, I know you left because we didn't believe you about Alex's death."  
  
I felt my heart slam in my chest. Of course he'd known, I'd been stupid to think that just because we left, he wouldn't remember my hurtful words, my strong pleas asking him to believe me that Alex didn't kill himself. I knew Alex had been murdered, and Max had turned away from my tears, he hadn't believed me. I couldn't take it. Max was right, that was a large part of why I'd left. I couldn't stay for someone who would never believe what I could feel in my heart.  
  
When I said nothing, Max continued. "I should have listened to you, I shouldn't have ignored you like I did. I just want you to know that you- you were right." I let out a little gasp, and he nodded. "Alex was murdered. You left and I was determined to find out what had happened. It's kind of stupid, but I thought that if I found the truth, you would miraculously return to me. Tess got pregnant soon after you left, the biggest mistake of my life." He shook his head, not meeting my eyes, knowing this information would hurt me. "She kept insisting we had to go back to Antar for the baby, but I couldn't let you go, Liz. I couldn't stop remembering what you said to me before you left. And so I investigated, and you were completely right. An alien did kill Alex- Tess killed Alex."  
  
I gasped again, coving my mouth with my hand as a tear escaped my eyes. Tess had killed Alex, Tess. She'd taken the life of my best friend, she'd stolen away my childhood. Tess had been the one all along, she was the reason we'd had to leave, she was the reason we'd felt so empty and alone. She killed our happiness.  
  
I bent over slightly, as fresh tears ran down my face. My hair fell in front of my face like a veil, I didn't need Max to see my cry. I'd been so strong when he died, I hadn't allowed myself to cry. For years, I'd never been able to let him go, and now I felt it. I could feel his memory begin to unwrap its clenching grip from my heart, Alex was letting go. I was finally freeing myself from the pain of his memories, and I was growing at peace with it all. Max had helped to free me.  
  
"Liz," he said and quickly moved himself from the chair, and over to the couch beside me. "Liz, you were so right, and I was so wrong. We sent Tess back up to Antar. It turns out that the Grenolith doubles as a ship, and she's gone. She will never come back to haunt us again." He looked at me worriedly. "Don't cry Liz, please."  
  
I raised my eyes and locked my gaze on him. "I'm crying only because now I know. I have missed Alex for so long, Max. He only wants me to be happy, he wants Maria and me to be happy again, and now I think that I finally might be able to." I smiled through my tears, and Max smiled as well.  
  
As I looked at him as evening settled in on the town of Roswell, I could see the Max I'd fallen in love with so long ago. No longer was my picture of him marred by the weeks before Maria and I had left, but now I saw him as the man he was capable of being. Max was right, Roswell was not the end- Roswell was the beginning, and in the dying light of the evening, I saw my savior in Max Evans. 


	5. Love

A/N- I'm so, so, so sorry it has taken me so long to write this. There has been entirely too much going on in my life- I started college and more, it was all just really hectic. Anyway, I really hope this chapter is worth the wait, and I hope my readers are still out there and willing to read this. I hope you enjoy it! Please review if you read it, it really helps. Thank you.

Oh, and by the way, this is the only chapter that will be written from Maria's point of view, just to cut down on confusion. Enjoy!

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_"I had a dream last night, that you came to me on eagle's wings and I flew away with you on a painted sky. I woke up wondering what was real, is it what you see and touch or what you feel? 'Cause you're still here."_

_-Faith Hill, You're Still Here_

I brushed my hair away from my face slowly, looking at my face in the dirty mirror. Even in the dim light, I could see my failures. Each one etched out in my eyes, my mistakes now only scars across my cheeks, along my jaw bone. My skin had gotten so pale, my hair so dark. It had been so long since I'd truly looked at myself, and what I saw scared me. I wasn't me anymore, I'd lost myself in my pain.

"Maria," Michael called softly from outside the door. I turned and looked at the closed door, knowing that he was in the hall waiting for me. I studied the lines in the wood, shifting my weight from foot to foot. I lifted my hand, and pulled opened the door, meeting his eyes again.

Michael still looked at me the same way he had years ago. His eyes staring deep into mine, penetrating my soul. Keeping his feelings at bay, he would see into me and know exactly what mine were. I remember back in high school, I tried so hard to get him to open up and be the Michael I wanted him to be, not realizing that the best part about him was that he wasn't that person.

He turned and headed down the hall toward the bedroom, and I followed silently. With every step I could hear the questions running through his brain. Where had we been? Why did I look so frail? Why had we left him? Questions I didn't want to answer, some I didn't even have answers to.

I sat down on Michael's bed looking around, the smell and presence of him wrapping around me, the comfort this apartment brought us so long ago. He didn't say a word as he looked at me, his eyes searching my features for answers. He was so scared to ask the questions raging through his mind, he was so scared to hurt me.

"What happened to you, Maria?" His voice came out just above a whisper, I had lean in close to even hear what he asked. Closing my eyes, I shook my head trying to erase all the memories. "We didn't know if you were sick, or hurt, or even alive. Just the not knowing drove me crazy, you didn't call. You never wrote me. I never meant to push you away, Maria. I- I wish I could go back in time, and do something- anything- just get you to not go away."

The words rushed out of Michael's mouth, and I looked at him, trying so hard to hold back his pain, so afraid to yet again show me what he was feeling. Michael, always putting up a front. He never let anyone in anymore, it was killing him to confess so much to me.

"We had to leave Michael," I whispered, "I know you'll never understand- we just had to leave. Roswell wasn't safety for me anymore, I didn't find comfort or a home here. We were both just so scared, and... and we had to leave. We should have told you, I know, but we didn't- and I can't change the past."

He looked at me, "you're just so..." his voice trailed off.

"Different?" He nodded, and I knew what he was saying. I was no longer the Maria DeLuca he'd pictured for so many years. "There's something Liz didn't mention when we were out there, she's trying so hard to protect me," I smiled and shook my head. "Even Liz couldn't protect me. Liz and I left together, but we didn't stay together. A year after we left, I separated from Liz. I left, I just left her alone. I ran away during the night. I was so lost, Michael, I'd forgotten who I was. I look so different now because I spent a year trying to hide from everyone else, and hide from myself. Because fear and pain were a weakness, and fear and pain are what built me. I ran away to nothing, a life on the streets, struggling to survive and forget. I've seen and done things you can't even believe."

Tears sprang to my eyes, and I closed them, turning my head away from Michael. "I'm not proud of what I did, and I will spend the rest of my life trying to make it up to myself, and even longer trying to make it up to you. The things I've seen, Michael," I shook my head, "no one should have to see that. I was alone, I didn't have any money- I needed to survive, just survive. I did whatever I could, I left Liz alone, and slowly I began to feel myself dying. When I went back to Liz, she took me back, asking no questions and not questioning why I'd had to leave. Liz and I both know deep inside our hearts what made us leave, but I can't put it into words."

Michael looked at me and silently took my hand, examining my frail fingers, clutched inside his strong, healthy hands. "Please forgive me, Michael. Please... please just understand that I had to leave, I couldn't stay here anymore, I had to leave. And please accept me back into your world, please don't hate me for my weaknesses. Please don't distrust me for the things I've seen since I've been away. Please... just please understand."

I met his eyes, begging him silently to understand exactly the reason I needed to go, and exactly the reason why I needed to come back. He slowly lifted his hand, running it down my cheek, wiping away my tears with his thumb.

"I'm ready to love Maria again," he said softly, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he looked into my eyes. He leaned forward, kissing my lips softly and in that moment I knew, I knew that Michael was the answer.


	6. Family

A/N- Well, again, sorry it took awhile for this chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it. Please review! It's so much more fun when I get reviews, and feedback is really important in making this a good story. Anyway, enjoy. This isn't the last chapter, but we're getting nearer to the end. Enjoy!

Oh, and as a side note. Phi- I was ecstatic to see a review from you on the last chapter! Thank you so much, it just made my day, thank you!

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_"Whenever I run, instead of running into the blue I follow my heart and there in your arms is where I find the love I need. And the best is yet to come, baby you're the one I run to."_

_- Keith Urban, "Whenever I Run"_

When I was little, my favorite thing about Roswell was how life never seemed to change. No matter what, I could always expect the same repetition of events. The same people in the cafe, the same conversations at dinner, always the same happy endings. When Max Evans healed me that day in the Crashdown, I learned that Roswell was not the safe haven I'd always imagined it to be. Life will always change, and as you grow older the world becomes so much darker, filled with sinister, evil enemies and terrible decisions.

Maria and I ran, trying to escape Roswell and our pasts. We left so quickly, we didn't even think about what we'd be leaving behind. It was a few months into our flee that I really began to think. I never mentioned it to Maria, but I know that she felt it too. Our hearts were a void, an empty, dark space filled with bad memories of Roswell and the aliens. With the death of Alex still fresh on our minds, we couldn't remember the good times. We didn't think about all the happy times the six of us had shared until months after we left them all behind.

The four of us sat in Michael living room. It was silent, but the veil of uncertainty and hostility had been lifted. The corners of Maria's mouth raised in a slight smile- a sight I hadn't seen in years. Michael's fingers entwined with hers and as I looked on them I saw Maria at 17- still so young and so confused by Michael Guerin, but loving every minute of it.

I felt Max's gaze on me, and looked over to meet his eyes. There was such a long road in front of us, but we were beginning the long-awaited trek to happiness and normalcy again. I knew the minute Max entered Michael's apartment that things would always be the same. When his gaze caught mine, my heart still fluttered lightly in my chest. Our lives were so changed, migrating in different directions. Yet I knew the strings of our past would tie us all back together again, and I knew that life was already beginning to mend us.

We heard the knock on the door and Maria's eyes met mine, smiles spreading across both our faces. We jumped up and ran over, knowing who was on the other side even before we opened it. The door flew open, and there she stood. She looked at us for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth between the two faces she hadn't seen in so long. The pains of her past were etched on her face, but none could cover the beauty that still defined her.

"Liz, Maria," the two names escaped her mouth and she smiled, pulling us both into a hug at the same time. "Oh, I missed you both so much."

She didn't question where we'd been, she didn't ask us why we'd left. If she wondered why we'd decided to come back after so long, she never showed it. The only thing she let us see was her joy, never a doubt creasing her forehead.

"Isabel," I said quietly, "we missed you too."

We walked over and sat down in a circle in the chairs and couches adorning Michael's apartment. For a brief moment, my mind flickered to a picture of Alex, and as I looked around all I could think of was that he was gone, our number was forever reduced to five. The silence in the room and the sudden shift in Isabel's eyes confirmed that I was not the only one thinking of him. Alex would never leave our minds, we'd all love him forever, but we were ready to let his memory fade into our pasts. We were ready to let go, and let our lives play out without constant worry and regret. We loved Alex, but he was ready to let us go.

--2 hours later—

The New Mexico sun shined brightly from the sky, casting our long shadows on the ground in front of us as we walked slowly down the sidewalk. I lifted my hand over my eyes to shield the sun, and in front of us I could see the large sign from my past and my heart skipped a beat.

Maria reached over and took my hand in hers, giving me a reassuring smile as we continued walking. Max had told us of our parents' ritual. Two years ago when Maria and I left, our parents began a weekly routine. They ate brunch together in the Crashdown and talked about their children- remembered the girls who'd left so suddenly without a trace. They'd tried so hard to find us at the beginning. Like the aliens, they didn't want to give up hope that they'd find us if they looked for one more day, checked out one more town for remnants of us. After months of searching, they were forced to begin the journey of acceptance. They continued to meet every Sunday, though, in remembrance of us. They'd kept on hoping, kept on wishing that one day we'd walk back through the door. I knew when we walked through the doors we would find them.

We stopped outside of the café. I looked back and saw Max, Michael, and Isabel trailing behind us, assuring us that they were and always would be behind us, supporting us. Maria and I looked at each other one last time before I reached forward and pulled open the door.

The scent of cheeseburgers and milkshakes filled my nose, and I smiled as I looked around the restaurant. Everything was the same, from the cheesy alien pictures on the wall, to the people sitting in the booths. Images from my childhood rushed back to me, and I sighed, again knowing that I was home.

I heard Maria gasp by my side, and my eyes quickly found the booth. My parents sat with Amy DeLuca in the back booth. I watched as my father laughed at something Amy said, his whole face filling up with delight. I studied my parents. Their faces looked older, weathered by the two years of our absence. Gray hairs streaked my father's once jet black hair. Amy was talking emphatically, waving her hands about, obviously immersed in her story as she laughed uncontrollably.

My father stood up, picking up her plate as she finished the story. He turned from the booth and for the first time in two years, our eyes met. With the crash of a plate and a gasp from my father, all three sets of eyes were locked on us.

Time stood still for a moment, the group of three staring at us, two girls standing awkwardly in the doorway to the place where we once belonged. Suddenly, the force of time snapped back, and my mother's arms were wrapped around me, her sobs shuddering as tears soaked into my hair. I heard Amy's voice beside me as she embraced Maria tightly, sobbing as she rattled on incoherent words and questions. They'd settled into a life of missing us, they were suddenly forced with the past and just like Max, Michael, and Isabel, they were trying to get used to this new reality.

My father hugged me tightly before pulling me back and looking into my eyes. "Liz," he said, his voice deep with emotion, "Liz, where were you?"

I looked over at Maria as Amy began to calm down and released her from the tight embrace. I smiled at my parents as I took Maria's hand. "We have a long story to tell. . ."

We sat at a large table set for eight for hours. Maria and I talked, revealing to our parents what had happened. As I looked around the table at the familiar faces, I knew that this is where we belonged. These six people were our family, and they were ready to welcome us home with open arms. Roswell will always be our home.


	7. Believe

A/N- Yes, yes, I know it's been awhile. I'm not going to list my excuses (that would take too long, hehe) but I really am sorry. Here's the chapter and I'm going to start writing the next one almost immediately. I already know what's going to happen, I just have to get it down- which, with classes and all, is the hard part. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. As for the next chapter you can look forward to another Maria based one- maybe even in her point of view to make it better. Remember, in the story Liz and Maria left shortly after Alex's death, so the Roswell life as we know it after that does not exist. We'll see. I hope you like this, and please review- I love all of you reviewers!

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"_Open the door, and show me your face tonight. I know it's true, no one heals me like you, and you hold the key."_

_-Sheryl Crow, "I Shall Believe"_

I looked around slowly, scanning the familiar room with my eyes, taking in my surroundings. I took a step into the room and ran my hand over the desk, remembering so vividly all the years I'd spent here. I was home again, in my room, right back where I'd always subconsciously known I belonged. My fingers broke through the film of dust that clung to the desk, signifying our years of absence and our barrier between past and present. I tore my eyes away from the finger marks and looked around again.

I took a step forward and sat slowly on my bed. It had been so long since I'd been here- everything looked exactly the same as it had when I left. My mother told me that they'd never gone into my room. It'd been closed up the day I left, and they didn't dare enter- so afraid of the emotion my room held for them, so afraid to remember their daughter who'd disappeared so suddenly. They didn't know where I was, they didn't know if I was suffering, they didn't know whether I was happy or sad- dead or alive. Grief saturated my soul as I'd watched them speak that day at lunch. I'd never thought about the pain I was causing everyone when we left; we just needed an escape. By the pained expression my mother held when she talked to me about the months I'd been away, I could see the sadness we'd caused everyone. Our flee was selfish, and I knew that. We'd needed it though; we'd needed to get away from Roswell. We now would forever be stronger because of our time away from Roswell; our time growing and becoming the Liz and Maria we were today. Maria is so much different from the person she used to be, hardened by her past and the days spent away from me. I knew Maria would begin to heal. Roswell would bandage our open wounds; Roswell was always the answer.

I stood up and walked over to my dresser, looking down at the pictures that sat in a neat line along the back. I smiled as I picked one up, running my thumb over it to wipe off the thin layer of dust that had collected. We looked so happy; everyone's faces lit so brightly with the smiles that we'd grown to stitch so carefully on our faces. Michael, Maria, Isabel, Alex, Max, Kyle, Tess, Amy DeLuca, Sheriff Valenti and I stood smiling brightly for the camera. We all wore our prom clothes, hair arranged so perfectly- all pretending so well that everything was fine. I knew that behind our smiles, our souls held so much animosity. Even before Alex died, things were far from perfect. As happy as the picture looked, our hearts were already overridden by sadness.

I took a breath, running my finger over Alex's face. It had been so long since I'd seen a picture of him; Maria and I had forced ourselves to leave every picture, every piece of Alex behind in Roswell, feeling that was where his memory belonged. We were so afraid to remember, so afraid that if we spoke our grievances aloud it would bring his memory back thicker, soaking our lives with the ever-present sadness that we both feared so much. As I looked at the picture, the memories came flooding back. I'd feared my memory of Alex was beginning to fade, but as I looked at the picture his presence seemed to wrap around me and I remembered everything. The essence of Alex was trapped in our minds and his picture; his smiling face in a faded, dusty picture- his ever-present memory burned in my mind. I realized as I looked at the picture that I would never forget the person Alex was, but that I needed to start healing my wounds and mending my sadness. Alex was gone, and although I would always hold a piece of him in my heart, I needed to start healing.

I heard a faint noise on the patio, drawing me out of my trance. I quickly set down the picture and looked toward the window. I saw a figure emerging from the darkness, and felt my breath catch as I watched Max duck his head into the window.

"Hey, Liz. Can I come in?" He asked, looking at me shyly as he stood there. It was amazing how something that used to seem so natural to him, now seemed different. Time had changed us, and he was working so desperately trying to get it back again.

"Sure Max, come on in." I watched as he climbed in. He stood, looking around the room slowly, looking so awkward in this space.

I moved toward the bed, sitting down and patting the space next to me inviting him over. He sat slowly and looked over at me, smiling nervously.

"It's just so weird to have you back here, you know?" He looked down at his hands. "I don't mean to act strange around you; we'd all just gotten so used to you being gone. Adapting to your presence again is a little tough, but we're getting through it."

"Well, it's good to be back Max." I said giving him a reassuring smile. An uncomfortable silence fell over the room and I could hear my heart beating wildly in my chest- somehow Max still held the power to drive me crazy. Our conversation was now so halted; each one of us trying to get used to acting like we had in the past. Groping through the darkness, feeling our way slowly and hoping that the other didn't notice our stumbling words and searching hearts.

Max's eyes darted back to the bed behind us, and I saw a flicker of recognition cloud his dark eyes. Before he spoke I knew exactly what he was thinking.

"I just keep thinking about…" his voice trailed off. He caught my eye and I nodded, showing him that I knew what he was thinking about when he looked back: the very spot on the bed where he'd found Kyle and I that night that seemed so long ago. "It all seems so stupid now, I mean with everything we've been through. I just remember how upset I was when I came here and saw… you two. Thinking about these years without you, I realize how insignificant it all was. If only I'd known what it would feel like to really lose you, lose you like I did two years ago. Then you and Kyle would have never seemed that bad." He shook his head, gluing his eyes down on his hands, afraid to look into my eyes.

I closed my eyes, remembering so vividly the words Future Max had said to me when he came. I remembered the pain, I remembered the tears, I remembered trying to imagine what life would be like without Max there to love me. When Maria and I fled Roswell, we'd lost everything. We'd chosen to leave, to live life without Roswell, Michael, Max, and our pasts by our sides. It had seemed so impossible back then, but we'd grown to live a life of loneliness. A life without love- the love of our family, friends, and the ones who'd made our hearts sing for so many years.

"Max, there something I need to tell you... about Kyle and I," I said softly, looking away.

"You and Kyle didn't have sex," he answered slowly. I looked at him, surprised he had guessed it so quickly, but yet understanding at the same time. He nodded, "I'd always guessed that, but you'd never admit to it. I just couldn't understand why you would ever do something that drastic."

He paused and I closed my eyes, dreading his next question. If Max asked me why I'd done it, why on earth I would want to pretend to sleep with Kyle to jeopardize our relationship, I wouldn't have an answer for him. I didn't know what I could say that could possibly make any sense to him, not after I'd so carelessly left for two years- abruptly changing the course of our lives and ending his dreams.

"Liz, I don't know why you did it." He said slowly, looking back into my eyes," and I'm honestly not going to ask. You have your reasons, and all that matters now is that you're finally back. Having you back here in Roswell, Liz, it makes all the difference. I feel like I haven't lived- it's like the day you left is the day time stopped for us. We talked, walked, breathed, and pretended, but we never lived. I feel like having you and Maria back, we're finally beginning to heal again. We're finally beginning to live."

Max looked into my eyes and I felt my heart flutter. All the months away and all the lonely nights, and I could never erase the way Max's eyes searched mine.

I stood up and walked over to my dresser, turning on my CD player and looking toward Max. "Will you dance with me?" I asked quietly as the chords began on the song I knew would play. In the months preceding our flee I'd listened to the same song on repeat; the song that always reminded me of Max.

Max smiled as he stood and carefully wrapped his arms around me, his eyes never leaving mine as the words began to play melodically, encasing the room in the warmth of our passion and the words I'd grown to love.

_Come to me now_

_And lay your hands over me_

_Even if it's a lie_

_Say it will be alright_

_And I shall believe_

_I'm broken in two_

_And I know you're on to me_

_That I only come home_

_When I'm so all alone_

_But I do believe_

I heard Max sigh as he wrapped his arms closer around me, our hearts beating perfectly in tune with the beat of the music. There had been so much loneliness, deceit, and lies in our past, but I could feel our hearts slowly beginning to unwind as the music wrapped around us. We were beginning to move on from our pasts and forgive each other for the wrongs committed against us. Although a piece of us would always remember the months apart and the lies surrounding Alex's death, we were finally beginning to accept our new reality. I knew that now we could finally begin to see each other again.

_Open the door_

_And show me your face tonight_

_I know it's true_

_No one heals me like you_

_And you hold the key_

_Never again_

_would I turn away from you_

_I'm so heavy tonight_

_But your love is alright_

_And I do believe_

_That not everything is gonna be the way_

_You think it ought to be_

_It seems like every time I try to make it right_

_It all comes down on me_

_Please say honestly_

_You won't give up on me_

_And I shall believe_

_I shall believe_

_And I shall believe_

Max looked into my eyes as the song began to fade and in the silence, I heard his heart beating faster. He lifted his hand and ran it slowly over my cheek, brushing away the tears I didn't even know where there. My gaze never leaving his, he leaned down, tipping my chin toward his, and caught my lips in a kiss. Our lives had migrated in such opposite directions for years, but we still knew how to mend our hearts. As we stood in the silence of the night kissing, I felt our souls beginning to tie together again, as the distance between us slowly began to disappear.

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The song: "I Shall Believe" by Sheryl Crow 


	8. Raindrops

A/N- Hey everyone, I hope you enjoy this. I worked super hard editing and re-editing, trying to make this chapter all it could be, and I love it. So hopefully you will too. :) Just so you know, this chapter is again from Maria's point of view because I saw no other way to be able to get all the information out without another Maria chapter. Please, please, please review- it helps immensely especially when I'm this close to the end of a story. Thank you!

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_"I might feel defeated, and I might hang my head. I might be barely breathing, but I'm not dead. Tomorrow's another day, and I am not afraid, so bring on the rain..."_

_Jo Dee Messina, Bring on the Rain_

I walked the quiet street, the only noise coming from the scuff of my sandals as they hit the rough pavement. The sun peaked lightly below the horizon as the day turned slowly to night; the darkness again taking over our world.

It had been a few days since we'd come home, and already we'd begun to find our places again. Liz was happy; I could see it in her eyes. It was the kind of happy I hadn't seen in her for years- the kind of happy I'd only dreamed to see again in her eyes. I watched her as she laughed earlier that day, and I knew she'd needed home again. I'd left her. I would always feel remorse over the year I'd left Liz alone- remorse for her loneliness, and remorse for the things I'd done in her absence.

I stopped, looking toward the sky. The moon hung and shined briefly, before the dark clouds covered it up. The wind was blowing and I knew that a storm would soon be upon us. You can always feel a summer storm in Roswell hours in advance. The moisture hangs in the air; the clouds threatening to break and rain thick drops down on the earth. When I was little, I used to live for the rains. I loved watching the drops fall from the sky, knowing that the rain came from somewhere so far above us on earth. As I grew older I began to forget what I found so special in the storms. As everyone grows older, life begins to lose its luster, for me it just came so much sooner and now my youth was over. Youth had left me that early morning two years ago. The morning that Liz and I fled into the streets, the rain pouring heavily on us as we ran from Roswell and ran from everything that was weighing us down. As the clouds broke with its thick tears, we broke with guilt from this town.

I felt my feet guiding me down the abandoned street. The threat of rain and the coming nightfall had emptied the sidewalks, and I sensed the all too familiar feeling of being alone as it settled over me. Thunder rolled through the dark sky as I approached the building. I stood quietly looking up at the structure, unsure of why I had come here again. There were so many memories in that building. This whole town was drenched with our memories, but that building held more than I ever wanted to remember.

I shook my head slowly, fighting back the tears begging to break free. I looked up into the dark sky once more before quickly turning around, and walking back in the direction I'd come.

"Maria!" My heart jumped when I heard my name, and I spun around to meet his gaze. Of course he'd seen me, he always did. "Maria?" He said again, this time his voice rising into the question we both wanted an answer to. Why was I here? He looked deep into my eyes, searching for the answers I couldn't comprehend.

Thunder broke, sending a chill down my spine as it rolled slowly through the sky. Michael looked up and shook his head, "it's going to rain. We should go inside," he said, slowly stretching his hand out for me to take. I looked down at it before shaking my head.

"I- I don't deserve you Michael." My voice broke from the tears struggling to fall. His hand slowly fell as he looked at me, shaking his head.

"I don't understand, Maria." He said, a question in his eyes. The wind whipped up around us, blowing his loose hair in his face and sending mine up in a spiral around me.

"I'm so ashamed, Michael. I don't deserve you; you're too good for me." I felt one lone tear travel slowly down my face as I looked slowly to the ground. "I've done so many terrible things that you wouldn't ever imagine."

"Maria," he took a step closer, our bodies only inches from touching. "What is it? What happened to you when you left Liz? What is it that makes your eyes so sad when you look toward the ground?" His eyes were full of questions, some I knew he would never voice.

I took a breath, before slowly beginning. "You- you can't understand it, Michael. You can't understand what it feels like to feel the emptiness and hunger eating away at your body and knowing that you'll never be able to satisfy it. What I had for money was gone within a month. I couldn't get a job because all of the things I needed for a legitimate job I'd left behind with Liz. I was stuck. I was so terribly alone, so terribly sad. There was no way out," my body shook as I slowly remembered. "There was no other way, I had to eat. I- I began to sell myself, Michael. I began to sink into sadness. I dyed my hair to cover up anything I remembered of myself, because I didn't want to remember who I'd been. If I remembered the Maria I used to be, I would remember everything I'd lost.

"I am so ashamed, so terribly ashamed of everything I've done since I've left you. The city was so dangerous and the men- the men were not always nice. They didn't always pay me, and I didn't always agree to the terrible things that they did to me." I felt the tears now, falling slowly, one by one hitting the pavement below my feet. One tear for every sin that now forever darkened my soul.

I looked up into Michael's eyes and saw the sadness I knew would be there. He was disappointed in me, just as I was disappointed in myself. "You see Michael?" I asked, my voice rising into a high shrill. "I don't deserve you! I might have deserved you before, but the day I left Roswell was the day I stopped deserving anything you've given me. Just forget about me, Michael. Forget. I will leave again and you can finally get back to the way things should be. You're so much better without me." I felt the tear in my heart as I spoke the words hiding deep within my heart.

I spun around quickly and began to run, looking back only briefly to see Michael's hunched form standing on the sidewalk. I ran quickly, my fading black hair whipping behind me as the building passed by me in a blur. A huge boom of thunder tore through the sky, and the clouds broke with sad and violent raindrops, mixing slowly with the tears streaming from my tired eyes. I knew I had to leave, because I couldn't keep pulling Michael down.

I felt a hand wrap around my arm, jerking me back so quickly that I stumbled and fell against the strong body behind me. His chest was muscular and safe as his arms wrapped slowly around me. He took his index finger and lifted my chin. I looked up into Michael's gray eyes and I saw him smile.

"Oh Maria," he sighed looking down at me. "You'll never understand how much I love you." He dipped his head, engulfing my mouth in a kiss, hungrily taking me in as the rain saturated the parched desert floor. He pulled away and smiled at me as lighting raced through the sky. "No matter where you've been or where you go, what you've done or what you'll do, I will always love you, Maria DeLuca."

I smiled as I looked up at him. "I love you Michael," I said and wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning my head against his drenched chest. There we stood, embraced tightly in the middle of the deserted Roswell street, as the rain quenched the thirst of the earth, and we quenched the thirst in our hearts.


	9. Alive

A/N- Well everyone, this is the end. Reviews lingered toward the end, but that's OK. I loved writing this story, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Review please, and look for future stories. Enjoy.

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_"I held the boy's hand, the little one, spoke like a man. He showed me death, and said this is how you know you're alive… you rise above the sea of doubts, into a word full of clouds. Alive." -__Azure Ray, Sea of Doubts_

The wind blew softly through the trees, singing out a sweet rhythm as we slowly walked side by side. I looked toward her and saw the fear in her eyes as we walked, and I reached over, lacing my fingers through hers. She smiled slightly, knowing I'd be next to her.

Maria had slowly begun to return. I looked at her as we walked. She'd washed her hair clean, the blond bringing back the light in her eye. The deep circles under her eyes began to fade, and the life was beginning to slowly sink back into her. I knew she was coming back to me, and I knew that this was our final step in letting go of our past, and embracing our future.

The grass crunched softly as we walked slowly through the long, straight rows of graves. The headstones each read a name, each encasing years of memories. So many people passed on from this earth, leaving their loved ones behind to pick up the pieces. Alex was gone. It was a fact that had been so terribly hard to understand for so long, but I knew we slowly had to let his memory go. He would stay forever in our hearts, his memory fading into the past as we created our futures.

We'd slowly gotten back into the rhythms of Roswell, but now this town rang true for us. What was so confusing in the past, now we understood. Michael was helping Maria to understand, and I knew that Max and I would slowly mend our pains. The five of us would live on: Maria, Max, Michael, Isabel, and I would carry on where Alex couldn't. We would help keep his memory alive, and live life the way we knew he wanted us to.

Maria and I began to slow as we neared. I heard Maria take a deep breath as we stopped, looking down at the patch of land in front of us. Alex. Born and dead. Seventeen years on earth. Countless years he would never get to live.

I bent slowly, my fingers circling over the engraved letters of his name. I felt the tears brim my eyes as his face formed in my memory. Alex, our best friend. I felt Maria next to me as she too came eye level with his name, crossing her legs in front of her as she sighed, looking at the head stone.

"We love you, Alex." She said softly, smiling as she too remembered him. "We'll miss you always." Her words carried away with the wind, whispering away and flying through the trees, up into heaven where I knew he was looking down at us.

Slowly, I raised my eyes, looking to the side. Alex stood, watching us from behind the tree, only a silhouette, transparent to those who weren't looking. He raised his hand slowly, holding it up for a moment in a farewell, before placing it over his heart with a smile. He faded away, the new day scattering his love throughout the graveyard and wrapping around us.

I looked to Maria and saw her smiling, looking at me with content, happy eyes. We knew Alex was gone, yet would live on forever. Slowly we stood, hand in hand walking out of the cemetery. Roswell stood in front of us. Our home, the only place we knew we belonged.


End file.
